Heating fluids, foods or other contents, or identifying relevant characteristics of the contents has been problematic for many individuals. Traditionally, heating or cooking foods or fluids have been performed on a stovetop. The food or fluid is placed in a pot and the pot is placed on a burner on a stove. The stove is turned on such that a filament is heated. The pot, which is placed in contact with the filament, is heated accordingly. After the contents of the pot is heated sufficiently, the heat may be manually shut off. The stove may utilize electricity to heat a filament or may utilize gas. If gas is used, a flame is produced at a burner and the pot is placed on top of the flame. In this way, the flame heats the pot which in turn heats the contents of the pot.
However, an individual desiring to heat food or fluids must have a pot and a stove readily available. Because stoves are often large and cumbersome, it is often not convenient for an individual to heat the contents of the pot or container at locations other than the kitchen. For example, if the individual is traveling or is at a location lacking kitchen facilities, the individual may not be able to heat food or fluids.
Similarly, hot pots have been used in which the pot is connected to an electrical cord that powers the pot. An electrical plug attached to the electrical cord is plugged into a wall outlet to provide power to the hot pot. In this way, the hot pot may be electrically powered to heat the contents of the hot pot. No stove top is used for the hot pot. However, using a hot pot, an individual is unable to utilize a stove top in heating the food or fluids contained in the hot pot. Rather, the hot pot can only be heated through the attached electrical cord. In the event that the electrical cord is unavailable or if there is no available electrical outlet or source of electricity, the individual desiring heating of the contents of the hot pot would be unable to heat the contents as desired. If the individual wishes to use a stovetop to heat the contents of the hot pot, the individual must first transfer the contents to a non-electrically powered pot and heat the non-electrically powered pot on the stove top. This wastes time and resources and leads to frustration of the individual. In addition, a hot pot does not provide a means for controlling or setting the temperature of the contents of the hot pot. Thus, an individual is unable to regulate the temperature of the contents of the hot pot or obtain a desired temperature.
Also, the electric hot pot as well as a pot on a stovetop requires a high amount of power to heat contents. The electricity provided to the hot pot via electric current from a source of electricity can be very costly over time. Similarly, the electricity used to power a filament on a stove top or to provide gas to power a gas burner on a stove top is also very costly. This problem is compounded by the lack of the ability to control or set the desired temperature in the pot or stovetop. Because the user cannot set a desired temperature, the pot or stovetop continues to heat the contents even when a desired temperature is reached, thus wasting energy and increasing costs.
Thus, there exists a need for a cost-effective apparatus and method for heating liquids or foods such that power may be conserved. There is also a need for an apparatus for heating liquids or foods that can adapt to the needs of the user and to provide additional information pertaining to the heating process to the user.